Stratecast | Frost & Sullivan Applauds Next IT's Technological Innovation in Developing Intelligent Assistants that Deliver Outstanding Customer Service

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the conversational artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent assistants (IAs) market, Stratecast | Frost & Sullivan recognizes Next IT with the 2016 Global Award for Technology Innovation. Customer service has come a long way from websites and toll-free numbers to sophisticated intelligent assistants that have natural conversations with customers and employees. Yet, Next IT stands out for having the vision to account for human oversight while offering advanced AI customer service solutions. Its visionary innovation has combined full-service experiences with self-service economics, helping generate significant financial benefits for a growing roster of blue-chip clients.

In addition to incorporating human oversight as part of the core model, Next IT's intelligent assistants are designed to engage in conversations and improve user experience through mixed-initiative and goal-based dialogue. They offer benefits of lower cost, scalability, and consistency in messaging and customer engagement, and can be applied in any company, anywhere, irrespective of the client's presence on a given network.

Amtrak's 'Ask Julie', Charter Communications' 'Ask Spectrum', and the US Army's 'SGT STAR' are Next IT-powered IAs that deliver substantial value to their organizations. For example, Amtrak's Ask Julie has generated 8X ROI and is saving the railroad $1 million per year in customer service emails.

"Powered by machine learning and AI, Next IT's solutions are providing conversational interfaces, usually through an avatar, which can provide truly human-like interactions with system users," said Jeff Cotrupe, Industry Director, Big Data & Analytics, Stratecast | Frost & Sullivan. "While early intelligent virtual assistants or chatbots were little more than cartoon interfaces offering extra guidance for search, the technology has evolved into emulated human interactions."

Today, IAs are helping consumers shop, order services, book travel, schedule meetings, and more. They are beginning to revolutionize search by moving away from giving users a list of options and instead, presenting just the best choice.

These IAs are created by the synergies among the five key technologies of machine learning: AI and artificial general intelligence (AI/AGI), natural language processing (NLP), real-time analytics and Web services. Together, they enable IAs to perform multiple tasks and customer interactions at a high level of efficiency.

"While there are many AI-driven customer service solutions in the market that could support both external and internal users, most organizations deploy them solely to support external customers," said Cotrupe. "Next IT does not deploy its solutions to support internal employees as an afterthought, but as a key component of its strategy, with products specifically addressing internal functions, such as IT helpdesk, human resources, and, perhaps most innovatively, sales engineering."

Overall, Next IT's leading-edge AI-based IAs are going a long way in driving business value, raising the bar for innovation in the conversational AI and IA market.

Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for outstanding achievement in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research.

About Next IT

Next IT is the intelligent interface company. We deliver the right outcomes through A.I.-powered solutions for customer engagement and workforce support. Our customers, including Alaska Airlines, Amtrak, Charter Communications, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services, and the U.S. Army, set the bar for innovation in their markets, and they trust our solutions to resolve the most challenging barriers to exceptional customer and workforce support. For more information visit www.NextIT.com.

About Frost & Sullivan

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan